Nothing but the Truth: Manfredi and Johnson
by Duckula Sunk My ROFLship
Summary: Skipper finally tells the true story of the lives of Manfredi and Johnson. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth: Manfredi and Johnson**

**1**

"He'd never do it."  
>"He'll pick dare every time. He always picks dare."<br>"He doesn't want to reveal any penguin secrets. You know how paranoid he is."

Skipper was about to walk into the room, when he heard voices coming from inside. Conspiratorial whispers. He stopped, his flipper on the door handle.

"Forget it. Skipper's too afraid to pick truth."

He entered the room loudly, and all heads turned to look at him.  
>"What's going on in here? Marlene, lemurs, why are you in our headquarters?" he asked immediately.<br>"We're playing Truth or Dare," Private piped up, "we thought you'd get here soon, and it looks like we were right! Would you like to join in?"  
>"You know I'm always up for that." Skipper smirked, and sat down in the circle they had all formed. "Who's turn is it?"<br>"Mine! It is my turn because I am the most important," cried Julien, waving his arm in the air. "Now who should I be picking?" He jumped to his feet and stared at each participant intently. "I... Think... Skipper! I have been thinking up some really boss dares since the last time we played. You are going to be hating it! Okay, so first -"  
>"Don't you ask Truth or Dare?" squeaked Mort. Julien sent him an impatient look.<br>"Formalities, who cares? As the king, I can skip silly rules like that. I will ask it anyway though, to lead by example. So, Skipper: Truth or Dare?"  
>Skipper glanced around the circle. Nobody was paying much attention. Julien was picking a tick off the potted plant Marlene had insisted they keep. Kowalski was drinking a coffee. Rico was tending to his girlfriend. Well, this would make them stand to attention. He'd show them who was scared.<br>"I choose truth."  
>Kowalski spat out his coffee; Julien dropped the tick; Rico almost dropped Miss Perky; everybody stared at him in shock.<br>"Wait, hold on there. What?" Julien asked, taken aback.  
>"You heard me. I choose truth. Ask me a question."<br>"Uh... A question... A question... I, uh... What... Wh... Um..." A look of great concentration took over his countenance as he thought hard. Suddenly he was struck with inspiration. "Aha! I know! Who was, um -" he struggled to remember the names "- Manshady N. Jones?"  
>"What are you talking about?" Skipper asked.<br>"Do you mean Manfredi and Johnson?" Kowalski clarified.  
>"Perhaps," the lemur retorted, "do you?"<br>Kowalski sighed, and Skipper looked away from the group, down at his feet.  
>"Manfredi and Johnson... You really want to know who they were?" he asked.<br>"Uh, yes! Why else would I be asking? Enough of the stupid questions already." Julien huffed.  
>"You can always forfeit, Skipper..." Private mentioned quietly.<br>"No," Skipper said, "that's okay, Private. It's a story that needs to be told."  
>"But Skipper -"<br>"I know, Kowalski."  
>"Waaugh!"<br>"Yes, Rico, it was awful. But this time I'm going to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth. I'm going to explain exactly what happened to Manfredi and Johnson."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth: Manfredi and Johnson**

**2**

The room was silent. Everybody was watching Skipper intently. He was pacing up and down the room, trying to decide where to begin.  
>"Trying to decide where to begin, Skipper?"<br>"Precise analysis, Kowalski. Got anything for me?"  
>"According to intel and my own observations of storytelling behaviour, the best way to recount the lives of the legendary pair would be to initiate with the moment you met them and your first impressions of them, and to proceed chronologically from that point."<br>"So... What exactly are you saying here?"  
>"Begin at the beginning."<br>"Classic. Unadventurous, but classic."

Julien yawned.  
>"Are we keeping you up, Ringtail?" Skipper glared at him.<br>"Well I am nocturnal," the lemur shrugged, "but my party spirit allows me to stay awake for as long as necessary." Skipper raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. Instead he turned back to the rest of the circle, finally ready to start.

"I remember when Manfredi and Johnson were new recruits. They quickly rose through the ranks. They displayed a loyalty and ability unlike anything I've ever seen in soldiers so new. Manfredi was cute and innocent, not unlike Private here, while Johnson reminded me of myself. That was one of the reasons why what happened to them came as such a blow... They were an able pair, but stricken with the worst of luck. That's what I used to think. But now I realised that luck had nothing to do with it, and was all due to their own negligence and cockiness! They were never paranoid enough! Their martial careers were riddled with hardships from the very beginning. It was one of Manfredi's first missions that turned him into the hardened military machine we all remember him as."

NAIROBI, KENYA  
>0700 HOURS<br>Manfredi was ready. He'd read the mission brief a thousand times. He had every detail memorised. Everything Kowalski had told him about these people was fixed firmly in his mind. He'd been practising Swahili for months and was one hundred percent fluent. He was _ready_.

Manfredi was the perfect penguin for the job. His natural cute factor and ability to get along with others, coupled with his obsessive dedication to research, meant that he should easily be able to infiltrate and aid the local Mau Mau group. He shouldn't even break a sweat, to use a figure of speech inappropriate for a penguin.

He approached the door cautiously, and gave the secret knock. After a minute, a suspicious eye peered at him through a small hole in the door. He looked back steadily as the eye looked him up and down, until it came to rest steadily back on his face. A beat passed. Manfredi issued the password. The eye disappeared. Another beat. The door opened.

The open door now revealed an African Penguin, who had a look of particular disdain on his face. The corners of the African Penguin's beak turned up in a brief sneer.  
>"You're American. What are you doing here?"<br>"Yeah, I am. I've been sent here by American top headquarters to join your force and aid you through talks with the British. Our government aren't getting officially involved, but we penguins are taking action. My name's Manfredi, by the way." He held out a flipper, wondering if the other would deign to shake it. "I hope we can be friends, too." To his surprise, his flipper was met by the other's, for a short but firm shake.  
>"Good to have you aboard, Manfredi. I'm Waruhiu. You seem like a trustworthy guy; don't make me regret inviting you in."<p>

Waruhiu led him into the sitting room, where three other African Penguins were sitting around a small table. Their discussion ceased once they saw Manfredi. They seemed wary, but in the end they trusted Waruhiu's judgement. A basic map was spread across the table, and there were two paintings of Kenyan landscapes hanging on the walls. Manfredi noticed a spear leaning against the wall in the corner of the room.


End file.
